Spacer for rolling bearing, notably used in a wind turbine

ABSTRACT

The spacer for rolling bearing comprises an inner ring, an outer ring and at least one row of angular contact rollers disposed between raceways provided on the rings. The spacer comprises two opposite faces  17  having a concave profile adapted to the rollers, at least one of said faces comprising two contact surfaces  17   a,    17   b  with the associated roller and a concave recess  17   c  extending between said contact surfaces and directed outwards towards said roller.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application is the U.S. National Stage of International Application No. PCT/EP2011/057743 filed on May 13, 2011, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of rolling bearings, in particular rolling bearings having an inner ring and an outer ring with one or more rows of contact rollers therebetween.

The invention relates more particularly to the field of large-diameter rolling bearings adapted to be used in a wind turbine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In such application, rolling bearings are used to angularly orient the rotor of the turbine according to the direction of the wind, and to orient the blades of the turbine around their longitudinal axes. Such rolling bearings are loaded mainly by stress, both axially and radially, often with a relatively strong load.

A rolling bearing for a wind turbine comprise two concentric inner and outer rings, at least a row of oblique contact rollers arranged between raceways and guiding faces provided on said rings, and a plurality of spacers disposed circumferentially between the rollers. Each spacer generally comprises two opposite cavities having a concave profile adapted to the rollers and delimited axially by lateral flanges, and two opposite inner and outer planar surfaces.

Friction is generated with such a spacer and the two associated rollers because of the high contact pressure under the action of the loads to which the rolling bearing is subjected during operation of the wind turbine.

It is a particular object of the present invention to provide a spacer for rolling bearing adapted to reduce its friction contribution and which is simple to manufacture and economic.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, the spacer for rolling bearing comprising an inner ring, an outer ring and at least one row of angular contact rollers disposed between raceways provided on the rings, comprises two opposite faces having a concave profile adapted to the rollers. At least one of said faces comprises two contact surfaces with the associated roller and a concave recess extending between said contact surfaces and directed outwards towards said roller.

The spacer may comprise opposite inner and outer parts adapted to come into contact with the raceways of the rings and opposite lateral flanges delimiting axially the opposite faces. Said faces may be connected to the inner and outer parts.

The recess may extend between the inner and outer parts. Advantageously, the recess extends from the inner part to the outer part.

In one embodiment, the inner and outer parts each comprise two contact surfaces and a concave recess disposed therebetween. The recess of the face may extend from the recess of the inner part to the recess of the outer part. Advantageously, the recesses of the inner and outer part extend from one face to the other.

The lateral flanges may each comprise one contact surface and a recess in a form of a groove formed onto said surface. Advantageously, the lateral flanges each further comprise additional recesses located on the both sides of the contact surface.

In one embodiment, the spacer further comprises a through-hole putting the faces into communication. Preferably, the through-hole opens onto the recess of the face.

In one embodiment, each face comprises two contact surfaces and a concave recess extending between said contact surfaces and between the inner and outer parts.

In one embodiment, the spacer is formed in one part from metal or from polymer material.

In another aspect of the invention, a rolling bearing comprises an inner ring, an outer ring, at least one row of angular contact rollers disposed between raceways provided on the rings, and a plurality of spacers as previously defined and disposed circumferentially between the rollers.

In one preferred embodiment, the recesses of the spacers are filled with lubricant.

The rolling bearing as previously defined may be particularly useful as a bearing for a wind turbine comprising a mast holding a nacelle where blades are installed, in particular for rotating the nacelle with respect to the mast and/or for rotating/pitching each blade around its longitudinal axis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The present invention and its advantages will be better understood by studying the detailed description of a specific embodiment given by way of non-limiting example and illustrated by the appended drawings on which:

FIG. 1 is a half section of a rolling bearing according to an example of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a half section of the rolling bearing of FIG. 1 according to another section plan,

FIG. 3 is a part section on a larger scale of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a spacer of the rolling bearing of FIGS. 1 and 2,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the spacer of FIG. 4 with two associated rollers,

FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG. 5, and

FIG. 7 is a view in section on VII-VII of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The rolling bearing as illustrated on the FIGS. 1 and 2 is a large-diameter rolling bearing comprising an inner ring 1 and an outer ring 2 between which are housed two rows of oblique or angular contact rollers 3 a and 3 b. The rolling bearing also comprises a plurality of spacers 4 disposed circumferentially between the rollers 3 a, 3 b to maintain the circumferential spacing between them.

The inner and outer rings 1, 2 are concentric and extend axially along the bearing rotation axis (not shown) of the rolling bearing. The rings 1, 2 are of the solid type. A “solid ring” is to be understood as a ring obtained by machining with removal of material (by machining, grinding) from metal tube stock, bar stock, rough forgings and/or rolled blanks.

The rollers 3 a, 3 b are identical with one another and each comprise an exterior rolling surface and opposite end transverse faces delimiting axially the rolling surface. In the illustrated embodiment, the rolling surfaces have a cylindrical profile. Alternatively, the rolling surfaces may have a spherical profile or a logarithmic profile. For each row, the rotation axes 3′a, 3′b of the rollers converge in one single point located on the longitudinal axis of the bearing, and are disposed at a determined angle with respect to the bearing axis. In the illustrated embodiment, the rotation axes 3′a, 3′b of the rollers of the two rows are arranged at an angle of 90° to each other, and of approximately of 45° to the bearing axis. The angle between the rotation axis 3′a, 3′b of each roller and the bearing axis may be comprised for example between 20° and 70°.

The inner ring 1 has a bore 1 a of cylindrical shape designed to be fixed to a chassis or to a structure of a machine (not shown) and delimited by opposite radial lateral surfaces 1 b, 1 c. The inner ring 1 also comprises a stepped exterior cylindrical surface 1 d onto which first and second annular raceways 5, 6 are formed. The raceways 5, 6 are mutually symmetric with respect to a transverse radial plane passing through the centre of the rolling bearing. Each raceway 5, 6 extend obliquely inwards from the exterior cylindrical surface 1 d and has a frustoconical shape. Each raceway 5, 6 has in cross section a straight internal profile in contact with the rolling surfaces of the rollers 3 a, 3 b.

The outer ring 2 comprises an outer cylindrical surface 2 a delimited by opposite radial lateral surfaces 2 b, 2 c. The outer ring 2 also comprises a stepped annular bore 2 d of cylindrical shape into which first and second raceways 7, 8 are formed. The raceways 7, 8 are mutually symmetric with respect to the radial plane passing through the centre of the rolling bearing. The raceways 7, 8 are respectively parallel to the raceways 5, 6. Each raceway 7, 8 extends obliquely outwards from the bore 2 d and has a frustoconical shape. Each raceway 7, 8 has in cross section a straight internal profile in contact with the rolling surfaces of the rollers 3 a, 3 b. The raceways 5, 6 of the inner ring and the raceways 7, 8 of the outer ring mutually face each other while at the same time being symmetric with regard to the rotation axis 3′a, 3′b of the rollers 3 a, 3 b.

The inner ring 1 also comprises annular guiding faces 9, 10 formed onto the exterior surface 1 d and which may be in axial contact with the end faces of the rollers with regard to the rotation axes 3′a, 3′b. The guiding faces 9, 10 are mutually symmetric with respect to the radial plane passing through the centre of rolling bearing. Each guiding face 9, 10 is straight and disposed perpendicular to the corresponding raceway 5, 6 and is connected to the edge of small diameter of said raceway by an annular concave fillet. Each guiding face 9, 10 extends obliquely outwards from said fillet and is connected to the exterior surface 1 d of the inner ring. The guiding faces 9, 10 extend radially relative to the rotation axis 3′a, 3′b of the rollers. Each guiding faces 9, 10 and the associated raceway 5, 6 delimit a V-shaped groove directed radially outwards.

The outer ring 2 also comprises guiding faces 11, 12 formed into the bore 2 d and which may be in axial contact with the opposite end faces of the rollers 3 a, 3 b with regard to the rotation axes 3′a, 3′b. The guiding faces 11, 12 are mutually symmetric with respect to the radial plane passing through the centre of rolling bearing. The guiding faces 11, 12 and the guiding faces 9, 10 mutually face each other and are respectively parallel. Each guiding face 11, 12 is straight and disposed perpendicular to the corresponding raceway 7, 8 and is connected to the edge of large diameter of said raceway by an annular concave fillet. Each guiding face 11, 12 extends obliquely inwards from said fillet and is connected to the bore 2 d of the inner ring. Each guiding face 11, 12 extend radially relative to the rotation axis 3′a, 3′b of the rollers. Each guiding face 11, 12 and the associated raceway 7, 8 delimit a V-shaped groove directed radially inwards.

The raceway 5 and the guiding face 9 of the inner ring define together with the raceway 7 and the guiding face 11 of the outer ring a first annular space inside which the row of rollers 3 a is disposed. Each roller 3 a arranged between the raceways 5, 7 is maintained laterally in position by the guiding faces 9, 11 to avoid a skewing or tilting of said roller with respect to the raceways. Each guiding face 9, 11 form a flank having a direct contact surface with the associated end face of the rollers 3 a to have a slight relative sliding between the end faces of rollers and the inner and outer rings 1, 2.

Similarly, the raceway 6 and the guiding face 10 of the inner ring define together with the raceway 8 and the guiding face 12 of the outer ring a second annular space inside which the row of rollers 3 b is disposed. The arrangement of the rollers 3 b with respect to the guiding faces 10, 12 is the same that the one previously described for the rollers 3 a and the guiding faces 9, 11.

The spacers 4 are identical with one another and each placed between two consecutive rollers 3 a, 3 b of each row. The spacers 4 may be made in one part from metal. Alternatively, the spacers 4 may be made from polymer material such as polyamide, for instance by moulding.

As shown on FIGS. 2 to 4, each spacer 4 comprises two opposite inner and outer parts 13, 14 coming into contact with the facing raceways of the inner and outer rings 1 and 2, and two opposite lateral flanges 15, 16 coming into contact with the opposite guiding faces of said rings. Each spacer 4 also comprises two opposite faces 17, 18 adapted to receive two consecutive rollers. With regard to the rotation axes of said rollers, the faces 17, 18 are delimited axially by the lateral flanges 15, 16. The faces 17, 18 are delimited transversally by the inner and outer parts 13, 14.

As shown on FIG. 3, for the row of rollers 3 a, the inner and outer parts 13, 14 of each spacer come into contact with the inner and outer raceways 5, 7 and the lateral flanges 15, 16 come into contact with the guiding faces 9, 11. The raceways 5, 7 and the guiding faces 9, 11 each form a flank having a direct contact surface with the associated part 13, 14 or flange 15, 16 to have a slight relative sliding between each spacer 4 and the rings 1, 2. In order to limit the induced friction torque of the spacers 4, a slight clearance is foreseen between each spacer and the raceways 5, 7 and the guiding faces 10, 12 of the rings. The arrangement of the spacers 4 for the row of rollers 3 b with respect to the raceways 6, 8 and to the guiding faces 10, 12 of the rings is the same that the one described for row of rollers 3 a.

As shown on FIGS. 3 and 4, the outer part 14 of each spacer comprises two identical and separate planar contact surfaces 14 a, 14 b bearing against the associated raceway of the outer ring 2 and a concave recess 14 c extending therebetween and which faces said raceway while remaining distant from the latter. In the illustrated embodiment, the recess 14 c has in cross-section a U-shape. The recess 14 c extends transversally from a longitudinal edge of the contact surface 14 a to a facing longitudinal edge of the other contact surface 14 b, and longitudinally from the face 17 to the other face 18.

With the concave recess 14 c, the friction contacts between the outer part 14 of each spacer and the associated raceway of the outer ring 2 are reduced. Besides, the recess 14 c advantageously acts as lubricant reservoir for lubricating the contact surfaces 14 a, 14 b of the outer part, the associated raceway of the outer ring 2 and the rolling surfaces of the rollers 3 a and 3 b, the lubricant emerging from the recess directly onto said contact and rolling surfaces and said raceway. The lubricant used (not shown) may be for example grease or oil.

Since the inner and outer parts 13, 14 of each spacer are identical in the illustrated embodiment, only one of them is described here, it being understood that the references “a, b, c” previously used for the outer part 14 are also used for the identical elements of the inner part 13. For the same reasons, only one of lateral flanges 15, 16 will be described, it being understood that the same references “a, b, c, d” are used for the identical elements of the two flanges.

The lateral flange 15 comprises a central planar contact surface 15 a bearing against the associated guiding face of the inner ring, two identical concave recesses 15 b, 15 c which face said ring while remaining distant from the latter, and a groove 15 d provided on the contact surface 15 a. The distance separating the contact surfaces 15 a and 16 a of the two flanges 15, 16 is substantially equal to the length of the rollers 3 a, 3 b.

The recess 15 b extends from a first edge of the contact surface 15 a to a longitudinal edge of the contact surface 14 b of the outer part 14 which is opposite to the longitudinal edge of said surface connected to the recess 14 c. The recess 15 c extends from a second opposite edge of the contact surface 15 a to a longitudinal edge of the contact surface 13 b which is opposite to the longitudinal edge of said surface connected to the recess 13 c. The recesses 15 b, 15 c extend longitudinally from the face 17 to the other face 18. The distance separating the two edges of the contact surface 15 a is substantially equal to the length of the associated guiding face of the inner ring. The groove 15 d is directed outwards and faces said guiding face while remaining distant from the latter. The groove 15 d extends longitudinally from the face 17 to the other face 18 and has in cross-section a concave internal profile in the shape of a semi-circle.

As shown on FIG. 3, for the row of rollers 3 a, the contact surface 15 a of the lateral flange 15 comes into contact with the guiding face 9 of the inner ring 1, and the recess 15 c faces the concave fillet which connects said guiding face and the raceway 5 while remaining distant from said fillet. The recess 15 b is oriented towards the exterior surface 1 d of the inner ring.

With the concave recess 15 c and the concave groove 15 d, the friction contacts between the lateral flange 15 and the inner ring 1 are reduced. Besides, the recesses 15 b, 15 c and the groove 15 d advantageously act as lubricant reservoirs for lubricating the contact surface 15 a, the guiding face 9 of the inner ring and the end faces of the rollers. The lubricant (not shown) emerges from the recesses 15 b, 15 c and the groove 15 d directly onto the contact surface 15 a, the guiding face 9 and the end faces of the rollers.

For the row of rollers 3 a, the contact surface 16 a of the lateral flange 16 bears against the guiding face 11 of the outer ring 2, and the recess 16 b faces the concave fillet which connects said guiding face and the raceway 7 while remaining distant from said fillet. The recess 16 c is oriented towards the bore 2 d of the outer ring. The recesses 16 b, 16 c and the groove 16 d also act as reservoirs filled with lubricant (not shown).

Since the faces 17, 18 of each spacer are identical in the illustrated embodiment, only one of them is described here, it being understood that the same references “a, b, c” are used for the identical elements of the two faces.

As shown on FIGS. 4 and 5, the face 17 comprises two identical and separate concave contact surfaces 17 a, 17 b having the shape of coaxial cylinder segments and a profile corresponding to the profile of the rolling surface of the associated roller 3 a. The axis of the cylinder segments of the contact surfaces 17 a, 17 b is parallel to the axis of the cylinder segments of the contact surfaces 18 a, 18 b. Each circumferential end of each concave contact surfaces 17 a, 17 b is extended by a plane surface (not referenced) connected to a transversal edge of the associated planar contact surface 13 a, 14 a, 13 b, 14 b. The face 17 also comprises a concave recess 17 c (also referred to as a roller contact surface concave recess in the claims) extending between said contact surfaces and which faces the roller 3 a while remaining distant from the rolling surface of the latter. In the illustrated embodiment, the recess 17 c has in cross-section a U-shape. The recess 17 c extends transversally from a longitudinal edge of the contact surface 17 a to a facing longitudinal edge of the other contact surface 17 b. The recess 17 c extends from the recess 13 c of the inner part 13 to the recess 14 c (also referred to as a raceway contact surface concave recess in the claims) of the outer part 14. A joint edge of the recess 17 c and the recess 14 c is offset inwards with regard to the contact surfaces 14 a, 14 b (also referred to as two raceway contact surfaces in the claims) of the outer part 14 and to the circumferential ends of the contact surfaces 17 a, 17 b of the face 17. Similarly, a facing joint edge of the recess 17 c and the recess 13 c (also referred to as a raceway contact surface concave recess in the claims) is offset inwards with regard to the contact surfaces 13 a, 13 b (also referred to as two raceway contact surfaces in the claims) of the inner part 13 and to the circumferential ends of the contact surfaces 17 a, 17 b of the face 17.

With the concave recess 17 c, the friction contacts between the face 17 of each spacer and the associated roller are reduced. Besides, the recess 17 c advantageously acts as lubricant reservoir for lubricating the concave contact surfaces 17 a, 17 b of the face and the rolling surface of the roller, the lubricant (not shown) emerging from the recess 17 c directly onto said contact and rolling surfaces. Besides, the lubricant emerging from the recess 17 c may be moved outward by centrifugal effect and reach the planar contact surfaces 14 a, 14 b of the outer part 14 and the associated raceway of the outer ring 2.

Each spacer 4 further comprises a through-hole 19 made inside its thickness, which opens onto the faces 17, 18 and put said faces into communication. On each face the through-hole 19 opens onto the recess 17 c, 18 c and the facing longitudinal edges of the contact surfaces 17 a, 17 b and 18 a, 18 b. Some lubricant (not shown) is disposed inside the through-hole 19, said hole acting as lubricant reservoir for lubricating the rolling surfaces of the two rollers associated to each spacer and the associated concave contact surfaces. The through-hole 19 allows the lubricant contained to emerge directly onto the rolling surface of each roller and the concave contact surfaces.

Otherwise, the recesses 15 b to 15 d of the lateral flange 15 of the spacer open onto the opposite concave contact surfaces 17 b, 18 b of the faces. Similarly, the recess 16 b to 16 d of the lateral flange 16 open onto the opposite concave contact surfaces 17 a, 18 a of said faces. Hence, the lubricant contained into the above-mentioned recesses may also emerge directly onto the concave contact surfaces of the faces 17, 18 and the end faces and the rolling surfaces of the associated rollers.

For each spacer 4, the presence of the recesses on the inner and outer parts 13, 14 and on the lateral flanges 15, 16 makes it possible to reduce the friction contacts with the rings, and to have a significant reserve of lubricant closed to the rollers 3 a, 3 b and to the raceways and the guiding faces of the rings. The friction contribution of each spacer 4 with regard to the inner and outer rings is thus reduced. Alternatively, it may however be possible to not foresee the recesses on the inner and outer parts 13, 14 and the lateral flanges for each spacer and to have one planar surface for each of said parts and flanges. The lateral flanges 15, 16 each define a lateral contact surface with a lateral contact surface recess (in the form of a groove) 15 d, 16 d therein.

Otherwise, the presence of the recesses 17 c, 18 c on each spacer makes it possible to reduce the friction contacts with the rollers and to have a significant reserve of lubricant closed to the concave contact surfaces 17 a, 17 b and 18 a, 18 b and the rolling surfaces of said rollers. The friction contribution of each spacer 4 with regard to the rollers is thus reduced.

The general structure of each spacer 4 is lightened by the recesses. A weight reduction for each spacer is obtained. In the illustrated embodiment, each spacer 4 has a first symmetry plane passing through the grooves 15 d, 16 d of the lateral flanges and parallel to the planar contact surfaces of the inner and outer parts 13 and 14, a second symmetry plane passing through the recesses 13 c, 14 c and perpendicular to the first plane, and a third symmetry plane passing through the recesses 17 c, 18 c and parallel to the planar contact surfaces of the lateral flanges 15 and 16.

For the introduction of the rollers 3 a, 3 b and the associated spacers 4 into the first and the second annular spaces defined between the inner and outer rings 1 and 2, said outer ring comprises two filling orifices (not shown) each extending radially from the outer cylindrical surface 2 a and opening into one of the annular spaces delimited by the raceways and the guiding faces. The outer ring also comprises two plugs closing the filling orifices and each comprising two planar surfaces which respectively replace locally the raceway and the guiding face of the outer ring.

As shown on FIGS. 1 and 2, the inner and outer rings 1, 2 further respectively comprise axial holes 20, 21 for fixing the two rings to two parts of a machine which can rotate one with respect to the other by virtue of the rolling bearing.

The rolling bearing further comprises two annular seals 22, 23 positioned radially between the inner and outer rings 1, 2. The seal 22 is mounted axially between the rollers 3 a and the radial surface 2 b of the outer ring 2. The seal 23 is positioned axially between the rollers 3 b and the radial surface 1 c of the inner ring 1. The seal 23 is identical to the seal 22 and is positioned symmetrically with respect to the latter with regard to the radial plane passing through the center of the rolling bearing. A closed space is defined between the rings 1, 2 and the seals 22, 23 in which the rollers 3 a, 3 b are housed so as to be protected against polluting elements. In the disclosed embodiment, the seals 22 and 23 have in cross-section the overall shape of a H.

Although the invention has been illustrated on the basis of a rolling bearing having a double row of oblique contact rollers, it should be understood that the invention can be applied to bearings having a simple row of rollers or at least three rows of rollers. Otherwise, in the illustrated embodiments, the rolling bearings are O-type bearings. Alternatively, it may also be possible to foresee X-type rolling bearings.

Furthermore, the inner ring and/or the outer ring may comprise gearing teeth on their outer periphery, so as to be connected to driving gears for instance connected to the output shaft of a motor. In another embodiment, the inner ring and/or the outer ring may be connected to a jack, for example a hydraulic or pneumatic jack.

Thanks to the invention, the friction of the rolling bearing is reduced. This is particularly advantageous in the case of a wind turbine comprising actuation means for changing the pitch of the blades, because it allows to downsize these actuation means since less power is required to pitch the blades, and even to reduce the response time of this pitching action, with, as a consequence, an improved overall efficiency of the wind turbine. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A spacer for a rolling bearing having an inner ring and an outer ring and at least one row of angular contact rollers disposed therebetween, the spacer comprising: two opposite faces each having a concave profile adapted to abut an angular contact roller, at least one of the two opposite faces having two contact surfaces adapted to contact the angular contact roller and a roller contact surface concave recess extending between the two contact surfaces and directed outwards towards the angular contact roller; opposite inner and outer parts adapted to come into contact with raceways of the inner and outer rings, wherein the opposite inner and outer parts each comprise two raceway contact surfaces and a raceway contact surface concave recess disposed therebetween, wherein the roller contact surface concave recess extends between the two raceway contact surfaces of the inner and outer parts and extends from the raceway contact surface concave recess of the inner part to the raceway contact surface concave recess of the outer part, wherein the raceway contact surface recess of each of the inner and outer parts extends from one of the two opposite faces to the other of the two opposite faces; opposite lateral flanges which are configured to extend between adjacent angular contact rollers, the opposite lateral flanges delimiting the two opposite faces that are adapted to contact the angular contact roller, the opposite lateral flanges each include one lateral contact surface and a lateral contact surface recess in a form of a groove formed onto the lateral contact surface, the opposite lateral flanges each having recesses on each side of the lateral contact surface.
 2. The spacer according to claim 1, further comprising a through-hole aligning the two opposite faces into communication.
 3. The spacer according to claim 2, wherein the through-hole opens onto the roller contact concave recess of at least one of the two opposite faces.
 4. The spacer according to claim 3, wherein each of the two opposite faces provides the two contact surfaces adapted to contact the roller and the roller contact concave recess extending between the two contact surfaces and between the opposite inner and outer parts.
 5. The spacer according to claim 4, further comprising the spacer being formed in one part from metal or from a polymer material.
 6. A rolling bearing comprising: an inner ring providing an inner raceway, an outer ring providing an outer raceway, at least one row of angular contact rollers disposed between the inner and outer raceways, and a plurality of the spacers of claim 1 each disposed circumferentially between adjacent rollers in the at least one row of angular contact rollers.
 7. The rolling bearing according to claim 6, wherein the recesses of the spacers are filled with lubricant. 